Things of Surprise
by you're so vain you probably
Summary: I never knew it would happen. It just did, and it was unexpected. I guess I am a little thankful for it, but some things will always be a "What if?". Carissa's normal demigod life is turned upside down, not like it wasn't before. This is her journey after her surprising mistake.


1:

I didn't think it would happen. Never in a million years. She warned me once. Then twice. But though I tried to ignore it, it sat there and grew its roots deep in my skull.

For a fourteen year old, I've faced some pretty scary things in life. I'm not talking about the kind of scary where they hold a gun to your head and ask for money, but close. Monsters and enemies hold their knives to your throat, but they ask for your defeat or your life or sometimes even your mercy.

I bet I'm confusing you now. I'm a half-blood. Half Greek god, and half mortal. One of my parents is a Greek God. For me, it's my dad. Being a demigod makes me twice as many times more vulnerable than a god or a mortal. For a while, I thought I was in the safest place in the world for people like me, Camp Half-Blood. I didn't know how wrong I was. It is the safest place, next to Camp Jupiter, but not to me.

Let's start from the beginning, the morning the Argo II left to Camp Jupiter.

We blew kisses and waved our hands as Annabeth Chase, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, and Jason Grace took off to the Roman camp, Camp Jupiter. See, until recently we hadn't known another Roman camp existed. They're like us, except half Roman god.

Anyways, the group mentioned were meeting up with the Hero of Olympus, Percy Jackson. I've never been too close to him, but enough to know he was a good guy. I wasn't there for the Titan War, either. Back then, I was still in Glenwood Prep. Academy.

"Do you think they'll make it? I mean, they have that Great Prophecy and all. Plus, imagine all the monsters they'll attract with Jason and Percy," Joana whispered to me. Joana was a daughter of Tyche, and man was she lucky. She was one of the many demigods, like me, that came after the Titan War when Percy made this huge wish.

"They'll make it. They always do," I replied thinking of all the stories Annabeth told us about her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, I'll see you later," she said spotting her new boyfriend, Alex, who was a son of Hephaestus. Should I repeat how lucky she is?

I nodded at her and headed back to my cabin. Cabin Seven isn't anything spectacular. There's a sun mural on the side and a bunch of lyres inside. Our dad, Apollo, is the god of music, poetry, medicine, and he drives the sun chariot. I've never met Dad, but Will said that Annabeth said that he's pretty 'chill'.

"Hey, Will. What's up?" I ask my brother when I came in.

"Practicing some healing hymns. There's a war coming, you know. Chiron says Gaia's rising. You should be practicing, too," he says to me. Will's like that. Being the cabin councilor, he's like our big brother. Even though there's about six people older than him.

"I will," I promised dismissively. "Which hymn?"

"That one," Will replies pointing at the text in a very antique looking book. "Could you sing that last part?"

I did exactly what he told, but automatically blushed when I sang a little off tune.

"Work on that B flat there, Carissa," he advises. I don't realize something's wrong until I take a good look around the room.

"Where is everybody?" I asked.

"Archery range. Apparently some Ares kid challenged our cabin to an archery contest," he said still looking closely at the text.

"Um, why?"

"Well, you know Kayla? Of course you do, she's your sister. Anyways, she claimed that if he were a true Ares child, he should be able to use any kind of weapon," he explained. I rolled my eyes at Kayla's antics. She's so cocky sometimes. "You should go practice too."

All day, I spent my time down at the archery range shooting arrows with my siblings. Chiron said we could have the day to ourselves since we pretty much spent most our time working on the Argo. The day went by normally with the sing along songs and dinner.

That's when it really started. When everything went completely wrong.

It was that night when we were all inside our cabins ready to sleep. Will cut out the lights and we all went to sleep. It was the dream. The dream that changed everything.

I dreamed I was underground. Roots hung like chandeliers and down the side of the cavern. In the middle of the room was a woman. She could've once been beautiful, but her dress was torn, cheeks caked with dirt, and dead flowers weaved into her hair.

"Who are you?" I breathed out. I feared the answer.

"My dear child, you do not know?" she replied, yet her lips didn't move.

"Gaia?" I gulped. Why would she come see me? I didn't have anything.

"Child, you have more than you know," she said amusingly. What did that even mean?

"Look Dirt Face, I don't-" I couldn't even finish my sentence. I wasn't sure what happened next. Dirt lady started asking me questions but my memory of that was a swirl of nothingness.

I woke up with a startle, hoping I didn't give any information away. Will always told me what happened at councilor meetings, but other than that, I didn't have anything else.

I guess I was wrong, because I woke up on the beach with some angry faces staring down at me.

2:

The whole camp was surrounding me in a semi-circle. Some nymphs and harpies hid behind trees. A lot of the people I knew personally had a look of betrayal.

"Explain this," Chiron gritted through his teeth. I didn't know what he was talking about. Hades, I hadn't even had breakfast yet!

I followed his finger to the sand next to me. The first thing I felt was unfairness. Next was horror. In the sand, Dirt Face left a little message.

_My dear Carissa,_

_Thank you for the information. This will disappear once you read this so be sure to wake up early! You have been a great help._

_- Mother Gaia_

Make sure you wake up early? Are you kidding me? The message did what it stated, and was gone in seconds.

"But-"

"No buts. We trusted you," Joana said harshly.

"I-"

"Out," Chiron said in anger. Out? Does he want me to…oh.

Swords were drawn as they shoved me at the top of the hill. Arrows whizzed past my ears and hunting knives missed me by millimeters. I ran for the top and down the hill with all I could. That was the moment I realized that I didn't bring anything. I couldn't survive out here without protection. My bow is still in my cabin. All I had was a few squares of ambrosia I always keep in my pocket and some nectar bottles in my boot.

I walked for some time down the Long Island shore. Being a child of Apollo, we don't attract much monsters so I figured I'd be fine for a while.

Her voice kept ringing in my head. It always had been since the day I came to camp. No, it wasn't Gaia. That Earth worm was just creepy, but she didn't scare me as much as her. I never got her name, or her face, just a voice.

I was thirteen, then, and Oliver Oaks, the satyr who was leading me to camp, and I were running through a forest. Where I lived, which was New Hampshire, we had loads of forests. They always scared me, just that dark and mysterious way of it, or the fact that anything could be lurking there. Those were the same reasons I was terrified of the ocean.

Anyways, that's when I heard her. She seemed so far away, yet as though she were whispering in my ear.

"_You'll be a part of something you will never understand the reason. The way you act is through the shocking treason. Part of something big? Not quite. But who are you chosen to fight? Have you met him? No. He's close by. Run child! Run! It's him! It's-_" her voice was cut off as Oliver tugged me out of the forest. I saw a shadow zip the other way, but it was a complicated figure. Not like anything I've seen before. Of course, now I know it was the Mist morphing my thoughts, but I still wonder.

The sand started growing hot in the summer sun. I slipped off my tennis shoes and dug my toes in the sand. Maybe this sun will bring me closer to Dad. I really hope he doesn't hate me for what I've done.

I lounged around for a few minutes before finally taking a seat on the beach. My mind wandered through the musical notes of the woman's voice to what she might look like. Most of the time I came up with the same idea. An average height old woman with long black hair wearing a black hooded cloak.

"Hello, sweetheart. Mind if I sit?" asked a voice from behind me. I snapped my head up immediately. It was her voice.

"Uh…" was my intelligent answer. She wasn't anything like I imagined. Her hair was a beautiful copper brown and her eyes were so pure I couldn't help but smile.

She sat down anyways. For a few awkward moments, we just stared out at the ocean in silence.

"So what are you going to do now?" she questioned. The lady shocked me again.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, darling, you've been kicked out of camp!" she playfully exclaimed.

"How-"

"Sweety, do you not know who I am?" the lady asked.

I did the safe thing. I asked her, "Are you a goddess?" Well, I was wrong.

"Honey, no. I am Rhea, titaness of motherhood," she answered.

"Aren't titans bad?" I blurted out. Warning: Never ask Mother Rhea that.

"No. I am not," she said harshly. "My husband always has to ruin my reputation! Just making things evil and stuff."

"So, um… why are you here?" I tried my best to sound polite, but truth is, I really don't know if I want her next to me. I mean, after the forest incident.

"Do you not remember me?" she asked it like she already knew the answer. "I'm here to send you off! It won't be quite like a quest, no. It's more of a favor."

"Don't the gods already hate me? Why would I be on a quest for them?" I asked.

She laughed loudly and looked straight into my eyes. "Darling," she said, "I am not a goddess. The goddesses don't know what you did, yet, either. They're too hung up on their prophecy. In due time they'll find out. Hopefully, this favor can turn things around for you before they notice."

"B-But why me?" I stammered out.

"You were my only choice. I knew my mother would use you


End file.
